The Most Meaningful Gift Of All

January 08, 1997

Now that the holidays are over, it's time to give the important stuff--blood. Tickle Me Elmo notwithstanding, that's the gift people really can't live without.

Ironically, supplies at blood banks often drop around Christmas and New Year's, as donors go on vacation or get tied up with shopping and parties. But this year was even worse than usual because both holidays came in midweek, which is when most donors ordinarily would have been giving blood.

As a result of that two-week hiatus, blood supplies at the area's major blood banks are alarmingly low.

LifeSource Blood Services, one of three major suppliers of blood to Chicago-area hospitals, had only 15 percent of its normal inventory on Monday, according to spokesperson Amy Gardner-Nummer, and only 1 percent of its normal supply of O Positive, the most common blood type. That's a dangerous situation that could turn downright desperate in the event of a major emergency like a serious multiple-car accident.

Of course, blood itself isn't in short supply, there's plenty of it walking around. More than likely, you've got some to spare--most people do. The trick is persuading them to part with a pint of it.

Yet donating blood doesn't hurt, only takes about an hour (counting the free cookies and juice you get afterward), and almost everyone from age 17 to 79 who weighs at least 110 pounds can do it.

What's more, it's one of the most personal, tangible ways we have of affirming our place in the community and fulfilling our responsibility to it. Giving blood to help others--and knowing that others are doing the same--is less a donation than a recognition of our common humanity.

So check your pulse. And if you've got one, call a blood center near you (the other two are Heartland and United) to make an appointment for this week.